Coast Guard boats, aircraft and personnel from Alaska assisted in the recovery Monday of a disabled Russian container ship carrying hundreds of tons of fuel. Commercial tugboats safely towed the vessel, which lost power late last week, to Prince Rupert, British Columbia.
The U.S. Coast Guard helped Canada's coast guard after being called upon by the Joint Rescue Coordination Center in Victoria -- British Columbia's capital -- on Friday. The JRCC reported the Simushir lost propulsion while traveling from Port Angeles, Washington, to Russia and was at risk of running aground on Haida Gwaii, formerly the Queen Charlotte Islands, south of Prince of Wales Island in Southeast.
The Simushir had been carrying 11 crew members and approximately 168,000 gallons of fuel, the Coast Guard said.
Assets based in Kodiak and Sitka responded. A Jayhawk helicopter and a C-130 Hercules transport turboprop plane flew to the Canadian town of Sandspit on Friday and Saturday, respectively, the Coast Guard said. The crews provided search-and-rescue assistance.
Six Coast Guard members in Juneau also went to Ketchikan, farther south on the Panhandle and closer to the drifting Russian vessel, to establish a command post for a contingency plan.
The commercial tugboat Barbara Foss pulled the Russian cargo ship toward Brown Passage, coordinating the transport with Canadian vessels and the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter SPAR, a 225-foot vessel whose home port is Kodiak.
Petty Officer 1st Class Kelly Parker said during the assistance, winds were 16 mph with 20 mph gusts. There were rough seas but clear skies and 11 miles of visibility, he said.
"The weather wasn't ideal but it didn't hinder our assistance," Parker said.
"The trusted partnership we have with our Canadian counterparts continues to be a vital component to protecting lives at sea and mitigating potential maritime emergencies," said Rear Adm. Dan Abel, Alaska commander of the Coast Guard in a prepared statement. "We are pleased this case ended with a positive outcome; preparing for the worst-case scenario is the first step in an effective prevention and response plan."
The rescue quelled fears of a grounding and environmental disaster. CBC News reported the Simushir was carrying a range of hydrocarbons, mining materials and other related chemicals. The ship was carrying 400 tons of oil and 50 tons of diesel. When the Exxon Valdez ran aground in Prince William Sound in March 1989, it spilled 35,000 metric tons of oil.